Combined rail joint and chair.



PATE'NTED MAR. 28, 1905.

J. S; WEBB. COMBINED RAIL JOINT AND CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Wibmaowo: A y i;

PATENTED MAR. 28, 1905.

J. S. WEBB. COMBINED RAIL JOINT AND CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY ZO, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

M W 5 m J wane/$000 UNITED STATES Patented March 28, 1905.

JOHN S. IVEBB, OF DISPUTANTA, VIRGINIA.

COMBINED RAIL JOINT AND CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 785,782, dated March28, 1905.

Application filed ly 20, 1904. Serial No. 217,377-

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, JOHN S. WEBB, a citizen of the United States,residing at Disputanta, in the county of Prince George and State ofVirginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in aCombined Rail Joint and Chair, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in combined rail joints andchairs, and has for its primary object the provision of a device of thischaracter which will be composed of the fewest possible parts consistentwith the desired ends sought to be attained in a successful joint andchair.

The invention comprehends a combined joint and chair comprisingseparable members having provision for their interlocking at the base,whereby a fiat uninterrupted bottom bearing surface or base is secured.

A convenient embodiment of the invention embraces two members eachprovided with a base portion, one of said members having a receivingdepression or recess, while the other has a complementary projectingportion arranged to engage said recess, said recess extendingsubstantially transversely across the member in which it is formed andthe projection being of substantially the same width, whereby theconnecting projection and its member alone form an unbroken base orchair or transverse braces therefor, affording afiat bearing-surface andabundantly resisting the tendency of the sections to break downwardly attheir meeting edges.

The novel details in the construction and arrangement of the severalparts of the invention will be apparent from the detailed descriptionhereinafter when read in connection with the accompanying drawings,forming part hereof, and wherein several embodiments of the inventionare illustrated.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the preferredembodiment of my invention, the parts being shown in inverted positionand portions being broken away. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional View on theline :0 m of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing therail sections removed and the i parts of the joint separated. Fig. t isa bottom plan view of a device constituting another embodiment of theinvention. Fig. 5 is a like view of a still further form, and Figs. 6and '7 are respectively transverse sectional views on the lines y y andz .2- of Figs. 4 and 5. Fig. 8 is an additional modification.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, wherein like referencecharacters refer to corresponding parts in the several series of views,and first with reference to Figs. 1, 9., and 3, A designates the meetingends of rail-sections desired to be joined, and Band Cthe two members ofmy novel combined joint and chair. These members 13 and C each havefish-plates D, portions E, designed to overlie the flanges of therail-sections, and base portions F, forming, with the parts to be nowdescribed, the rail-chair. In the member C, .1 form a depressed portionor recess extending substantially the entire length of the base thereof,the same being represented at G and having outwardly-diverging wallsThis depression or recess preferably extends but partially through itsbase portion, as shown, whereby a continuous flat upper surface forcontact with the bottom of the rail is preserved.

H is a projecting portion flush with the bottom surface of the member Band of substantially the same thickness as the depth of the depressionGr. This projecting portion is conveniently of dovetail configuration,whereby the same when seated in the depression Ur constitutes anefiicient key or look for preventing undue separation of the sections Band G or the creeping of either longitudinally of the other. It is to beunderstood, however, that these parts do not have what may be termed atight or close fit therebetween, but are relatively loosely associatedto allow for the usual expansion and contraction of the metal.

An important feature of the invention is the width of the projection orkey H and the cooperating depression or recess Gr, it being noted thatthese extend completely across the member in which the depression isformed and that the bottom surface of the key or projection is flushwith the bottom surface of the member or section C. By this arrangementit will be seen that the bottom of the chair has a flat uninterruptedbearing-surface throughout its extent, and a peculiar advantage incidentto the relatively wide recess and key or projection is that the tendencyof the sections B and G to break downwardly at their meeting edgesbeneath the vertical axis of the railsection is abundantly resisted,which is not the case where the interlocking of the two sections ofajoint is by means of short or narrow projections, which are liable tobreak or shear ofl' owing to the vibration created by traflic over therails.

In the form of device just above described the projection or key H,together with the bottom surface of the member B, practically constitutethe base or chair of the device; but it is not my intention to berestricted to this special idea, because in some instances theinterlocking recess and projection would not be of such great length;but a suflicient connect ing of the parts may be afforded through themedium of a series, conveniently one at each end of the device, ofrecesses and projections, which in such cases constitute. continuoustransverse braces for the chair. The forms of projections and recessesmay be quite different and in the main discretionary, according to theuses to which the particular joints are to be put.

In Figs. 4 and 6 the projections represented at I and recesses K aredovetail in shape, after the manner of the connection shown in the firstthree figures. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 5 and 7, however, therecesses and projections each have one straight wall L and an inclinedwall M.

In all of the forms it is obvious that although the members B and C areseparable to a pre determined extent, nevertheless the beveled orinclined cooperating surfaces or edges of the recesses and projectionspositively lock the members against undue separation. In all of theforms the fish-plates are bolted to the rail-sections in the ordinarymanner, and the joint is secured in place by spikes I, passing throughapertures f in the base portions F of the members B and C and alsothrough apertures 0, formed in the several projections.

The fish-plates D have enlargements (Z, centrally thereof, directlyunderlying the tread portions of the rails at their meeting ends toafford an additional brace or support for said ends.

Numerous changes and alterations may be made in the several structuresdisclosed herein without in the least departing from the spirit andscope of the invention. For example, I have thus far referred to the keyprojections as being formed with the member B of the joint; but it isapparent that the underlying principle of the invention will also beconserved should the projections or keys be independently formed anddetachaoly connected with both of the members B and O through the mediumof interlocking engagements, such as dovetails and depressions P, orthey may be initially formed independently-and subsequently rigidlysecured to one of the members, as indicated at Q, both of the foregoingstructures being suggested in Fig. 8.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is-

1. A combined rail joint and chair comprising two oppositely -disposedrail -engaging members having base portions, one of said base portionshaving a receiving depression extending but partially therethrough andthe other a cooperating projection, said depression and projectionextending entirely transversely across the member having the recess,substantially as described.

2. A combined rail joint and chair comprising two oppositely disposedrail engaging members having base portions, one .of said base portionshaving a dovetail projection and the other a cooperating depression, theinclined edges of said projection and depression being at the endsthereof.

3. A combined rail joint and chair comprising two oppositely disposedrail engaging members having base portions, one of said base portionshaving a receiving depression extending substantially transverselythereacross and for but a part of its length and the other a cooperatingprojection, one of the end edges of said depression and projection beinginclined.

4:. A combined rail joint and chair comprising two oppositely -disposedrail -engaging members having base portions, one of said base portionshaving a dovetail receiving depression extending substantiallythereacross and the other a cooperating dovetail projection, saiddepression and projection being of a length substantially that of therail-engaging members and having their inclined edges at their sides.

5. A combined rail joint and chair comprising two oppositely disposedrail engaging members having base portions, said base portions havingbroad fiat interlocking members extending entirely transverselythereacross.

6. A combined rail joint and chair comprising two oppositely disposedrail engaging members having base portions, one of said base portionshaving a receiving depression extending but partially therethrough, acooperating projection operatively associated with said other baseportion and adapted to fit said depression, said depression andprojection extending entirely transversely across the member having thedepression.

7 A combined rail joint and chair comprising two oppositely -disposedrail engaging members having base portions, one of said base portionshaving a receiving depression extending but partially therethrough oneof the end edges of which is inclined, and a cooperating projectionoperatively associated with the other of said base portions and adaptedto engage said depression.

8. Acombined rail joint and chair comprising two oppositely-disposedrail-engaging members having base portions, one of said base portionshaving a receiving depression extending entirely thereacross, and acooperating projection operatively associated with the other of saidbase portions, said projection and the member having the depressionbeing provided with alined spike-apertures at their free edges.

9. A combined rail joint and chair comprising two oppositely-disposedrail-engaging members having base portions, said base portions beingprovided with a broad flat side interlocking member arrangedtransversely thereof and but partially therethrough.

10. A combined rail joint and chair comprising two oppositely-disposedrail engaging members having base portions, one of said base portionshaving a receiving depression extending substantially thereacross andfor but a part of its length, and a cooperating end interlockingprojection operatively associated with the other of said base portions,said depression and projection being of a length substantially that ofthe rail-engaging members.

11. A combined rail jointand chair comprising two oppositely disposedrail engaging members having base portions, one of said base portionshaving a receiving depression extending for but a part of its length andthe 12. A combined rail joint and chair comprising two oppositelydisposed rail engaging members having base portions, one of said baseportions having a receiving depression extending but partiallytheidethrough and for but a part of its length, and the other acooperating projection, said depression and projection havinginterlocking end edges.

13. A combined rail joint and chair comprising two oppositely-disposedrail-engaging members having base portions, one of said base portionshaving a receiving depression extending but partially therethrough andfor but a part of its length, and the other a cooperating projection,one of the end edges of said depression and projection being inclined.

14. A combined rail joint and chair comprising two oppositely-disposedrail-engaging members having base portions, one of said base portionshaving a dovetail receiving depression extending but partiallytherethrough and for but a part of its length, and the other acooperating projection, the inclined edges of said depression andprojection being at their ends.

15. Acombined rail joint and chair comprising two oppositelydisposedrail-engaging members having base portions, one of said base portionshaving a receiving depression extending substantially transverselythereacross and for but a part of its length, and the other acooperating projection, one of the ends of said depression andprojection being inclined.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN S. VEBB.

Witnesses:

ISABEL BURCH, JAs. H. MILANs.

